The Cutest Hat Ever Designed! Really.

Amelia Earhart Aviator/Catholic Bishop/Medieval Warrior/Gabled Hood

I have two other FO's that I finished before this one but I haven't taken proper pictures of them yet.  SO, I'll just post about this one quickly, shall I?  

Again, it's the Amelia Eahart Aviator Cap and it is my favorite hat ever.  This one is my third and I love it soooo much I can't stop looking at it.  It's a bit odd (the staring).  I'm actually gifting this to someone so I'll have to stop looking eventually but really folks, it IS the cutest thing (and just LOOK at that doodle bug modeling it!).  

And again with the buttons!  On my other two I so wanted to sew on buttons but didn't.  Since this one is going to a little girl I thought, why not?  And look how adorable it is!!!!  OH. MY. GOSH!  Can you stand it?  I can, but just barely.  

The great thing about this "kid" version is that I used just under 1 ball of Sublime extra fine merino dk which is only 127 yards.  Not too shabby.  

Pattern: Amelia Earhart Aviator (free on ravlery)

Yarn: Sublime extra fine merino dk

Needles: US #6

Made For: Ruby

Mods: Went down to a dk weight yarn instead of worsted and used size 6 rather than size 8 needles.  It is a bit small so I might try again with the dk and size 7 needles.  We'll see.  Kara, hush your mouth ;).  I know Tiennie's got my back on this multiple knitting problem.  

Anyway, I finally finished my cardi so as soon as I can get some pics of it, I'll post.  I'm very proud of it, thereby committing a deadly sin.  Ah well, you can't win 'em all.  

Peace out,

Heidi

I thought I could, I thought I could...

Prepare yourselves for what you are about to see. Your opinion of me is about to change   

FOR. E. VER

I am going to show you the before and after pictures of my "secret shame". Some of you commented in my last post that everyone has a "secret shame" and not to worry about it. I doubt you will argue with me that any of you have a "secret shame" as shameful as this...

I ask you; what kind of person lives like this?  A pig.  Not even a person.  A pig who lives in a pig pen.  I was just a-chuckin' stuff all about the place.  No rhyme or reason, no place for anything to go.  Just take it off and chuck it down.  Come now!  That is shameful!  

And just look at this festering swine hole if you will.  Are you kidding?!  This is RIDICULOUS!  Nay, ridonculous!  

And this!  I even attempted some sort of bin system here which obviously did NOT work for me.  I cannot believe I'm putting these pictures on here.  I seem to have lost a number of readers already.  What is this going to do to me?  Well, this is my punishment for being such a slob.  It's my flogging if you will.  My hairshirt and my celise belt.  I will do the time, for I committed the crime.  OH how I committed the crime!  

So when people walk into my house they say, "your house is always clean!  Is it really like this all the time?"  And I answer that it is IN THE MAIN PART of the house.  The rooms and closets have always been a fiasco.  I keep things clean but there is always clutter of some sort around.  I make the beds and clean the bathrooms but there are about 50 million piles of books, and odd socks, and toys, and clean piles of laundry.  I don't know what it is with me.  I'm like a little rodent.  I stuff things in closets and cupboards and corners.  

Well, it all started to get to me a few months ago and I called in a professional organizer to do my pantry.  She literally changed my life.  I know, it sounds dramatic but honestly, this woman made it approachable.  So I've been systematically going from room to room and organizing EVERYTHING just exactly the way she taught me.  It is a PAIN in the RUMPUS!  However, my pantry has stayed exactly the same as the day she did it for 6 months and that is really saying something for me.  Obviously she knows what she's doing.  I'm only going to post the before and after pictures of my "secret shame" because it is the most dramatic.  It was the most shameful and therefore had the most dramatic outcome.  Here are the glorious after shots...

This is the best view I could get of the whole closet.  The dvd on the floor is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".  I cannot take a perfect picture to save my life.  Lizzy chucked that in there and I didn't notice until the photo shoot was over.  I'm can't be bothered to redo it ;).  The large bins up top contain things like pajamas, sweats, swim wear, bags, sweaters, etc.  They're perfect!

This picture is showcasing the fact that I'm actually using that bottom rod!  What a novel idea!

The above is a smattering of shoes.  Yes, just a smattering.  I have a small problem ;).  It has helped me immensely to put them in clear boxes with labels such as "heels", "athletic", "sandals" etc.  No dusty shoes, no smashed shoes.  Brilliant!

Now look at the brilliant use of those shelves!  I'm so proud of those!  My gym bag and swimming gear is at the bottom and more shoes going up.  Lovely.  

And my last and loveliest shot :).  The perfectly clean shelves.  Also, I added the little hooks you see on the right for things like a robe or a hat or bag I'm using often.  They're those lovely 3M ones that you can remove by pulling that tab and they don't take off your paint or anything.  I tried.  

So, yes I'm a pig.  I can admit it now.  I may have failed my 12 step program with fingerless gloves but I stuck with it for organizing.  I've become a woman possessed.  I've done the kids toys, my closet, the mud room, Lizzy's room and just today finished Will's room (that one was a bugger!).  I'm moving like a house on fire!  

Junipers for June

Yes, just in time for summer!  I have just completed my sister's birthday prezzie.  We are NOT going to worry about the fact that her birthday is in February.  I've actually had these done for awhile and keep forgetting to buy buttons.  They are great mitts but the cute factor goes up to fabulous when the buttons are sewn on!!!!

I'm dying!  Are you dying?!  Probably not.  Before you start making fun of me for more fingerless mitts (I quit my 12 step program), I must tell you that these were a request.  A REQUEST!  Let me also add that I do realize that these are NOT really Juniper Mitts.  See, the thumb for these is quite odd.  You simply bind off a bunch of stitches for the thumb and that just isn't going to work for anyone except a Barbie.  We Bendixen girls have normal human sized hands (well, being that we are freakishly tall, probably larger than normal).  The delightful pattern got totally lost on the upper hand because it was stretched beyond all reason.  Pfff.  Obviously I had to reknit.  

These lovelies are knit from little charts and I failed to remember that I would need to switch to the left hand chart (while working the right mitt) when I knit back and forth for the thumb.  Consequently, we have this lovely 70's zig zag that turned out amazingly adorable (though I say it myself).  Not too shabs, yes?  So aside from the thumb hole being a bit gapers, these might be my favorite mitts ever!  The buttons, my gosh the buttons!  These are CRAP buttons from Wal Mart (look, I had to buy some hooks today OK) and they are so great!  If Haley doesn't love these and wear them all summer long, I'm taking them back ;).  

Pattern: Juniper Mitts by Nuttyirishmanknits (free on Ravelry!)

Yarn: Berrocco Ultra Alpaca

Needles: US #7

Made For: Haley

Mods: Giant gaping thumb hole because my hands are too big to accommodate the wonky thumb the pattern calls for

Time: About a day

So I know you can't believe I've been knitting but there's the proof.  I'm even knitting My So Called Scarf right now.  I'm mildly distracted of late with the organizational projects I'm attempting.  Pics to come.  I must warn you that I may lose some blog readers if I post the "before" pictures of my closet.  It was my "secret shame".  I never actually referred to it as my closet.  "Go look in my secret shame" I'd say if Steve needed something from there.  It was bad.  Shameful.  Piggish.  

I couldn't help it.  Just one more glance before you go...

And Now for Something Completely Different

Last night we decided to support some friends and try something different.  Completely different.  Ultimate fighting.  Well, we watched ultimate fighting.  We didn't fight.  Obviously I had my reservations as I am not generally a violent person (except as it pertains to clusters).  I figured this was the kind of thing where the fans get drunk and someone gets shot.  I KNEW my fears were founded when the men got frisked upon entering the arena.  The only place I've been frisked or seen someone frisked as regular protocol is at the airport.  And that was really just soon after 9/11.  Actually, people were relatively calm and no one got violent.  Except in the cage.  

As we looked around for seats, we met up with Amber, whose husband was fighting last night.  I asked if she was nervous.  She said no.  What the what?!  I would have been freaking out.  I kind of was anyway.  People were very excited.  They even brought their kids.  Kids!  I leaned over to Steve and said, "this is the modern day equivalent of the Coliseum!"  He replied that is was a bit, but that these fighters chose to be here and were not, in fact, gladiators ;).   Anyway, the "ceremonies" began, memories of "Rocky" came to mind and a wave of panic swept over me as I remembered that really mean fighters like to kill people.  What if someone died in that cage and the crowd got crazy and we got stomped to death.  I have two kids, people!  Well, none of that happened.   

The above is Aaron.  Amber's husband.  Doesn't he look mean?  Well, he's not.  You'd never know this guy was a fighter.  He's actually a research scientist by day.  Turns out Amber had no reason to be nervous.  I guess she knew better than me ;).  He had his opponent pinned within 20 seconds but then let him go and then the opponent was like an angry insect and there was no stopping him.  He got Aaron in a death hold and that was the end of it.  I guess you have to have a bit of the mean in you.  Or a bit of the angry.  Aaron tapped out and the fight was over.  It was really fun to see.  Yes, fun.  Does that make me a bad person?  No, just sort of Roman.  

Here's a picture of Aaron pinning the insect before he became angry.  He had him for a good long time.  Long enough to really tick him off ;).  

A few fights in, there was a guy that really scared the pants off me.  I went with my friend to get some water and just then the next fighters were coming out.  They do it just like in "Rocky" with the strobe lights and music and insanity.  Well, we were standing right on the side of the red carpet and this nut job comes out making pig/ape sounds and hopping around like a freak.  I literally didn't dare to breath while he passed in case he was like a mini T-Rex and couldn't see me if I didn't move.  After he passed my friend and I looked at each other and had identical "o" shaped mouths and bugged out eyes.  Needless to say this mean bugger won his fight and then jumped up on top of the cage when he was done.  He hurt his opponent enough that the ref had to call it.  I thought a riot might start at that point but alas, we remained safe.  By a miracle.

  This is us smiling in relief that our lives were spared after the Pigape fight.  

Well, I really never thought I'd attend one of these fight nights.  I didn't think it was my style.  I can't knock it, however.  I actually enjoyed myself.  I was yelling for people to "get up!", and "rip his face off!".  I would immediately pick my favorite by who came down the red carpet like a normal human instead of the ones oinking/growling and acting a fool.  Of course, the normal ones rarely win.  It's the Pigapes who are truly mean and therefore do mean things in the cage.  There are few things that are disallowed in the cage but I figure some things are frowned upon. Like beating your opponent until he can't stand up straight. 

So, if you're ever looking for something totally new and different, try a fight night.  You might feel kind of Roman and a bit Rockyish.  It's fun.